5 places where bridges make a difference

FIVE PLACES

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, May 20, 2012

Photo: Michael Maloney, The Chronicle

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Jeremy Vennell of Bissell Pro Cycling team heads down the Capitol Mall with the Tower Bridge in the background during the prologue - the opening race of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California bicycle race in Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday, February 14, 2009. less

Jeremy Vennell of Bissell Pro Cycling team heads down the Capitol Mall with the Tower Bridge in the background during the prologue - the opening race of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California bicycle race in ... more

Photo: Michael Maloney, The Chronicle

5 places where bridges make a difference

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

If you live in Northern California, chances are you're well aware of a certain bridge's big birthday this month. All of the hoopla over the Golden Gate's 75th is more than just an excuse for a party - it's an indicator of just how important bridges can be. Not only do they drastically alter the landscape, but they also have the potential to change communities and provide that special, fleeting moment - neither here nor there.

If you can't make it to the bridge's party next weekend, be sure to catch "The Golden Gate Bridge: An Icon That Changed Marin," the museum's show of photos of a strangely naked Golden Gate pre-bridge and the tools used to build it. Most interesting, perhaps, is the documentation of the bridge's impact on Marin County: The region's real estate boomed and its dairy farms dwindled. Through Sept. 1. 1125 B St., (415) 454-8538, www.marinhistory.org.

5. Natural Bridges State Beach,

Santa Cruz

Natural Bridges has long been a favorite of locals - many of whom remember when the beach had two mudstone bridges - and of migrating monarchs (as many as 100,000 each winter). Though there's only one bridge left (two of the original three eroded away), the tide pools are still teeming with sea stars, anemones, crabs and other marine life. There's also a dazzling display of wildflowers in the nearby scrub meadows this time of year. End of West Cliff Drive, (831) 423-4609, www.parks.ca.gov.

3. Sundial Bridge,

Turtle Bay, Redding

Cars aren't welcome on this architectural wonder designed to give pedestrians and cyclists a closer view of the wildlife on the Sacramento River (pond turtles, river otters and the occasional beaver) without disrupting the natural habitat. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava built the freestanding structure without support beams to prevent shadows on the river that could potentially disrupt spawning salmon. Stop by on the summer solstice - that's when the bridge's sundial is most accurate. 840 Sundial Bridge Drive, (800) 887-8532, www.turtlebay.org/sundialbridge.

4. Benson Footbridge,

Multnomah Falls, Ore.

The best vantage point to fully absorb one of the Northwest's most awesome waterfalls is from the perpetually damp footbridge that crosses the lower falls of the two-tiered wonder. Just shy of 100 years old, the bridge offers dizzying views: Tilt your head up to see the top of the roaring 542-foot upper fall, then take a deep breath and look down to follow the 69-foot plunge of the lower fall. 50000 Historic Columbia River Highway, (Oregon Highway 30), (503) 695-2372, www.fs.usda.gov/detail/crgnsa/home.

2. Tower Bridge, Sacramento

The London landmark of the same name may be slightly more famous, but our capital's Streamline Moderne masterpiece (built at the end of the Art Deco period, two years before the Golden Gate) is within driving distance. Grab a seat on the patio of the nearby Tower Bridge Bistro for an up-close view of the ups and downs of the vertical lift bridge. 100 Capitol Mall, (916) 326-5050, www.towerbridgebistro.com.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.